title: Adolescent preventive services.
abstract: Today, there are significant risks to the health of teenagers. Drugs (tobacco, alcohol, steroids and others), sex (pregnancy, STDs, date rape), nutrition (obesity and eating disorders), and violence (abuse, fighting) are unfortunately a part of many teens' lives. These risks increase throughout the teen years. Since each risk has a strong behavioral component, we hope to modify the behavior and minimize the risk. Prevention and health promotion are an important part of health care for teens. Primary care providers, such as family physicians, are in an excellent position to provide teen preventative care that is comprehensive and specific to the needs of each teen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, Regions Hospital, St. Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Reif
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Elster
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006284:Health Plan Implementation; D006292:Health Priorities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012940:Social Problems / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014481:United States